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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — an amount
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — to visit
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. press — to push
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pop — music
  19. content — happy
  20. deal — to handle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com